The concertos for harpsichord and strings constitute a part of Bach's oeuvre
which has been the subject of many musicological investigations. The reason
is that neither of them was originally conceived for this scoring. They are
arrangements of concertos which Bach had written in either Cöthen or
Weimar and which he adapted for performances during public concerts in Leipzig.
Since the original versions have been lost musicologists have speculated about
their scoring. Attempts have been made to reconstruct them, and these reconstructions
have also been recorded. In the end these are the result of much speculation
and many assumptions. The versions for harpsichord are the only ones which
are authentic for sure.

There is no lack of recordings of these concertos, both on harpsichord and
on piano. The accompaniment varies from one instrument per part to a full-blown
chamber orchestra. The present disc is the first of two with the six concertos
BWV 1052 - 1057. There are several features of these interpretations which
make them an interesting addition to the discography, independent of their
artistic qualities.

First of all a performer has to establish the version he wants to use. The
concertos have come down to us in an autograph score, but this has undergone
several corrections, "sometimes to the point of illegibility", Aapo Häkkinen
writes in his liner-notes. "We have done our best to establish the "final"
variants of all these instances". This had its most obvious effect in the
Concerto BWV 1056. In the autograph score it is in the key of F minor,
but in Bach's revised version it was transposed to G minor. Häkkinen
expresses his surprise that the Neue Bach-Ausgabe used the latest revision
as its primary source, but transposed it back to F minor. As a result that
is the version one is used to hear in previous recordings. This is probably
the first recording in G minor.

The second aspect concerns the choice of the harpsichord. In recent times
musicologists and performers have shown great interest in the phenomenon of
the harpsichord with a 16' register. Several recordings with music by in particular
Bach have been released in which such a harpsichord was used. These were confined
to music for keyboard solo. The present disc is the first in which the 16'
is used in keyboard concertos. In my reviews on previous recordings I have
expressed my skepticism towards the use of a 16', for musical reasons but
also because it seemed to me not quite clear how common such instruments were
in Bach's time. In his extensive liner-notes Aapo Häkkinen discusses
this subject and refers to various books and articles which seem to lead to
the conclusion that such instruments were indeed rather common. So I probably
should overcome my scepticism and accept it as a plausible option. Even so,
whether Bach himself indeed performed the harpsichord concertos on such an
instrument remains a matter of speculation.

The scoring of the instrumental ensemble with one instrument per part, as
in this recording, is not new. The first complete recording of the harpsichord
concertos on period instruments, by Gustav Leonhardt, already practised this
scoring. He used a double-bass in the ensemble, and that instrument is omitted
here, on the basis of musicological research. Here the ensemble includes a
violone as a rule playing at 8' pitch, in order to reinforce the tuttis. Leonhardt
- and most later interpreters - omitted an additional keyboard instrument
for the basso continuo. Häkkinen uses an organ in his ensemble. He states
that positive organs and portable chest organs were common at the time. Because
of the fact that a harpsichord was sometimes used in sacred music "the idea
of a continuo organ in harpsichord concertos does not seem far-fetched". Among
all the interesting ideas in this recording this one seems to me the least
convincing. I don't see the need for an organ when the harpsichord - which
is also involved in the tuttis - is played with a 16' stop.

I have to admit that I needed to get used to the sound which the ensemble
and the harpsichord produce here. As I have noticed in previous recordings
of a harpsichord with 16' register the descant seems to be a little dull and
lack presence. This impression was corfirmed here, in particular in the Concerto
in d minor, although my experience was a bit more positive when I listened
for a second time. It is probably a matter of perception, caused by the fact
that the lower part of the harpsichord is much stronger. I still don't like
the sound very much, though. But if this is indeed the way Bach wanted his
concertos to be played, so be it. Aapo Häkkinen delivers good performances
of the solo part. I am less enthusiastic about the strings. I don't find their
performances always very subtle; especially in the D minor Concerto
their playing is sometimes too abrasive, even rude. The tempi of the Concerto
in E are surprising: the opening allegro is rather moderate, and as a
result there is hardly a difference in tempo between this movement and the
following siciliano.

As a kind of bonus we get the Italian Concerto, which is part of the
Clavier-Übung II. It makes sense to choose this piece, as we have
here a solo concerto with soli and tutti played on a single instrument. In
the fast movements we hear the harpsichord with its 16' stop in full fling.
It certainly results in a highly dramatic performance, but I am not sure whether
it would make less impression without the 16'. Interestingly Aapo Häkkinen
uses a harpsichord which was owned by the late Igor Kipnis, built in 1970
after an original instrument by Johann Adolph Hass of 1760.

Whatever one's assessment of the artistic merits of this disc, it certainly
is an intriguing contribution to the Bach discography.